Blouse Like Marilyn's

Look what I grabbed at the local thrift shop for only 4 dollars:

I am pretty sure it is vintage judging from the mark in the neck:

But where have we seen it before, you ask?

Not exactly alike but very close:

I know I will love it the coming summer.

THE LAST Flea Market

Have you noticed? It is really autumn. I always think it is a bit sad, although I think autumn is beautiful, and I love moving inside in front of the fire place, light the candles, and drink spiced tea. So I have planned a series of "the last" and start with the last flea market. We have only visited 3 ot 4 this season, and it was the last one that hit jackpot. Here are my treasures:

From top left:
* a brand new zebra stribed cardigan, 4 dollars
* a pink silk-like scarf, elegant retro style, 1 dollar - soft and warm
* a little glass étagère for candy, 4 dollars, very elegant on my coffee table
In the front from left:
* a little game, "Who said it?", great for travelling, 1 dollar
* a funny leather purse that looks like a hand granate, 1 dollar, it is always very expensive in Germany
* four travel size schnapps-glasses in a leather case for my parents' advent calendar, 1 dollar
* three LP's in perfect condition, History of Rock, Rock'n'Roll hits and Sinatra Swings, 2 dollars each
* four tiny wooden cars for my home-made monopoly board game, 2 dollars for all four

So I had shopped for about 20 dollars in total, plus two LP's for my brother, also 2 dollars each.
I really love shopping! :)

Great Gifts

About two weeks ago it was my birthday and it was a great day - even the gifts were great. I got everything I wanted although only two of the gifts were on my wish list. My family knows me well since they give such great gifts. If I want to share the gifts with you? Of course I do.

DH gave me a drawer for my nail polish collection:
My brother sent me a text asking "if a drawer was a little overkill for nail polish?", "Not if you have many!" I answered back. Many nail polish addicts in blogland have a Helmer drawer from Ikea, but DH didn't like it, and I don't complain. This one was the last one in the shop so he bargained the price and also bought me an Advent calendar:

I just LOVE Advent calendars and he knows it.

Son gave me this completely overwhelming gift:

The most beautiful glass ornaments bought at a museum for a fortune. A rhinoceros, a polar bear and a bee. I was truly touched. So now a rhinoceros will hang on my Christmas tree.

My parents gave me only reuse gift which they had found at different flea markets, and it was the best gifts ever. A.o. this fabulous pair of shoes:
And they fit perfectly.

My best friend, Jesper and his sweet fiancee, gave me this picture of Marilyn, which I - youwon'tbelieveit - don't think I've ever seen before:
Now I just have to find a nice place to hang it.

Squirrel Restaurant

I love recycling! I love finding a treasure in the second-hand shops, at the flea markets ... and in the bi-weekly refuse heaps. A couple of weeks ago I walked my five kilometres and looked at the heaps and what did I see? A squirrel restaurant:
I have wanted one for long, because I have many squirrels in my garden, and they are so cosy. But a squirrel restaurant is quite expensive, so having walked my tour I had to go back and get it. And it is perfect, I just have to fill it with goodies and hang it up in a tree. It is incredible what people discards!

Buy of the Year 2010

Buy of the Year 2010 must be my vintage Pyrex measuring can which I found at our local flea market in the Spring of 2010. I think I paid 1 dollar for it. I was a little in doubt if it was vintage or not, because it is so timeless that it is almost modern. But while I walked around with it, a pair of elderly ladies said: “Look a vintage Pyrex!”.

It is perfect! Perfect size, because measuring cans are always too big or too small. This is half a litre and there are also American measures at the other side. And it goes right into the microwave oven when I make home made café latte.

Buy of the Year 2009

Now when the season for flea markets are almost over, I thought I would nominate "buy of the year" for last year:

I love to pack when I’m going on vacations. Half of the pleasure for me is almost writing packing lists of all the things I want to bring with me. I don’t travel light, and I’ve known for long, so I collect everything in mini-sizes. All my creams, shampoo, soaps, makeup-set, hairbrush, even my curling iron – everything is mini-sized.

Last Summer I bought this old mini immersion heater at a flea market for what equals to one dollar:
Everybody laughed at me. I will date it to the late sixties since the colours and the pattern was very poplular at that time.

And if I should name something “buy of the year 2009” it should be this. Because it makes me so happy to put it into my mug and in less than a minute after I have boiling water for at cup of tea – or coffee for DH. So much happiness for so little money!

Flea Market and MC Sunday

Yesterday, DH had dedicated the whole day to me - his words, not mine, but I don't complain. We started at a little local flea market, but it was so small and we were just warmed up, so we continued to a larger one. Here is what I invested in:

Artificial apple blossom sprigs - 1½ dollar each, they will look nice in my bedroom.
A lovely decanter - 1½ dollar.
A nice wooden game - 1½ dollar (I don't know the name of the game in English).
Three nice nail polish colours (red, blue, pink) - a dollar each. I already know the glittery red will become a favourite for all the Christmas parties.
A mini hand cream for my purse - 50 cents.
A Royal Copenhagen mouse - 6½ dollars.
A lovely blue, vintage glass necklace - 8 dollars.
Two pairs brand new (vintage stock) kid skin gloves - 1½ dollar each.


DH was also lucky, he found a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses for 16 dollars, a Dewalt drilling machine also for 16 dollars (he just loves tools), and various cords, soldering iron, and fuses. He started liking flea markets after he found some treasures too.

We went home to eat a quick lunch and then we took on all the motorcycle clothes, because we had a date with my BIL and SIL (DH's sister and husband). We went to "Malerklemmen", which is a cafe in a wood where a lot of motocyclists meet the first Sunday every months. The weather was more than perfect.

Here is DH in front of his motorcycle, aka the "Rat". Behind it you see BIL's fast red Japanese cycle:

Here we are eating a kind of Danish doughnut with softice (me and DH at the left):
Malerklemmen is known for their homemade doughnuts and during Summer you get them with soft ice cream, to make it more summery. These doughnuts are a Danish Christmas tradition.

There were mostly Japanese cycles, but four Harleys, one Norton and one vintage Victoria were also in the collection. This is one of the more special machines:

DH likes this Drag Star, it is truly nice in grey and black:

A little red Harley with a pink helmet - I guess it is a lady bike:
(remember all photos can be clicked into larger size)

So I ought to have stayed at home dusting the whole house and fighting the weeds in the garden, BUT now I'm recharged and happy, and I suppose both dust and weed will still be there next weekend.

Nails and Fleas

At the more jolly end of my life ... I've won second prize in a Spring nail competition by the NegleNymferne! :)
I have not won anything, except the honour, which I think is great - just take a look at the first prize! Hard to compete with those Easter egg nails! My contribution does not look like much compared to that - I've made an eranthis of rhinestones. The technic is to place the rhinestones in wet nail polish and it has to be done quickly since there are so many, and no mistakes should be made, since it ruins the wet polish. Not as easy as it looks. Afterwards it gets a layer of clear top coat and it lasts for almost a week.

AND ... I've visited a flea market at great granny's nursery home, and I bought a lot of treasures for nothing! I just LOVE flea markets and second hand, you can buy the most incredible treasures for almost nothing. Well, here's the list of my treasures:

A camera tripod for about 4 dollars
I've wanted it for long, and 4 dollars, isn't it marvelous! Normally, it costs about 200 dollars on the internet. Perhaps I finally can shoot some night photos.

20 LP’s for 8 dollars
Yes, I love vinyl, and at such a low price you can take a chance if you find something you are not quite sure of, but I found some really great discs.

A pink cardigan for 1 dollar
I can wash it at that price.

A phone with ten memory buttons for 4 dollars
It is white, clean and works perfectly - out with the ugly green one that didn't function.

So I shopped a lot almost without spending.

Later at the same week we visited great granny and I spotted a sofa bed, which I hadn't noticed at the flea market. We inquired how much and they told us we could just take it. We did, and now our guest room in the basement looks very smart.

I wonder why second hand isn't more popular than it is, because it is a gold mine.